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(THERE’LL BE BLUEBIRDS OVER) THE WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER.Lyrics by Nat Burton and music by Walter Kent. Copyright © MCMXLIShapiro, Bernstein & Co., Inc., and Walter Kent Music. Copyrightrenewed. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used bypermission.
B.C. cartoon reprinted by permission of Johnny Hart and Creators Syndicate, Inc.
First printing of Living Books edition November 2001.
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02 01 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
1. When God Doesn’t Make Sense . . . . . . . 1
2. The Betrayal Barrier . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3. God Makes Sense Even When He Doesn’t Make Sense . . . . . . . . . . 43
4. Acceptance or Despair . . . . . . . . . . 71
5. “He Will Deliver Us, but If Not . . .” . . . 91
6. Questions and Answers . . . . . . . . . 115
7. The Adversity Principle . . . . . . . . . 141
8. Faith Must Be Tough . . . . . . . . . . 163
9. The Wages of Sin . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
10. More Questions and Answers . . . . . . 197
11. Beyond the Betrayal Barrier . . . . . . 219
Chuck Frye was a bright young man of 17, academi-
cally gifted and highly motivated. After graduating near
the top of his class in high school, he went on to
college, where he continued to excel in his studies.
Upon completion of his B.S. degree, he applied for
admittance to several medical schools. The competition
for acceptance was, and is, fierce. At the time, I was a
professor at the University of Southern California
School of Medicine, where only 106 students were
admitted each year out of 6,000 applicants. That was
typical of accredited medical programs in that era.
Despite these long odds, Chuck was accepted at the
University of Arizona School of Medicine and began his
formal training in September.
During that first term, Chuck was thinking about the
call of God on his life. He began to feel that he should
forgo high-tech medicine in some lucrative setting in
favor of service on a foreign field. This eventually
became his definite plan for the future. Toward the end
of that first year of training, however, Chuck was not
feeling well. He began experiencing a strange and
persistent fatigue. He made an appointment for an
examination in May and was soon diagnosed with
acute leukemia. Chuck Frye was dead by November.
How could Chuck’s heartsick parents then, and how
can we now, make sense of this incomprehensible act
3
of God? This young man loved Jesus Christ with all his
heart and sought only to do His will. Why was he taken
in his prime despite many agonized prayers for his
healing by godly family members and faithful friends?
The Lord clearly said no to them all. But why?
Thousands of young doctors complete their educa-
tion every year and enter the medical profession, some
for less than admirable reasons. A tiny minority plan to
spend their professional lives with the down and outers
of the world. But here was a marvelous exception. If
permitted to live, Chuck could have treated thousands
of poor and needy people who would otherwise suffer
and die in utter hopelessness. Not only could he have
ministered to their physical needs, but his ultimate
desire was to share the gospel with those who had
never heard this greatest of stories. Thus, his death
simply made no sense. Visualize with me the many
desperately ill people Dr. Chuck Frye might have
touched in his lifetime, some with cancer, some with
tuberculosis, some with congenital disorders, and some
too young to even understand their pain. Why would
Divine Providence deny them his dedicated service?
There is another dimension to the Frye story that
completes the picture. Chuck became engaged to be
married in March of that first year in medical school.
His fiancée was named Karen Ernst, and she was also
a committed believer in Jesus Christ. She learned of
Chuck’s terminal illness six weeks after their engage-
ment, but she chose to go through with their wedding
plans. They became husband and wife in July, less than
DR. JAMES DOBSON
4
four months before his tragic death. Karen then en-
rolled in medical school at the University of Arizona,
and after graduation she became a medical missionary
in Swaziland in southern Africa. Dr. Frye served there
in a church-sponsored hospital until 1992. I’m sure she
wonders—amidst so much suffering—why her brilliant
young husband was not allowed to fulfill his mission as
her medical colleague. And, yes, I wonder too.
The great theologians of the world can contemplate
the dilemma posed by Chuck Frye’s death for the next
50 years, but they are not likely to produce a satisfying
explanation. God’s purpose in this young man’s demise
is a mystery, and there it must remain. Why, after much
prayer, was Chuck granted admittance to medical
school if he could not live to complete his training?
From whence came the missions call to which he
responded? Why was so much talent invested in a
young man who would not be able to use it? And why
was life abbreviated in such a mature and promising
student, whereas many drug addicts, winos, and evil-
doers survive into old age as burdens on society? These
troubling questions are much easier to pose than to
answer. And there are many others.
The Lord has not yet revealed His reasons for permit-
ting the plane crash that took the lives of my four
friends back in 1987. They were among the finest
Christian gentlemen I have ever known. Hugo
Schoellkopf was an entrepreneur and an extremely
able member of the board of directors for Focus on the
Family. George Clark was a bank president and a giant
WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE
5
of a man. Dr. Trevor Mabrey was a gifted surgeon who
performed nearly half of his operations at no charge to
his patients. He was a soft touch for anyone with a
financial need. And Creath Davis was a minister and
author who was loved by thousands. They were close
friends who met regularly to study the Word and assure
mutual accountability for what they were learning. I
loved these four men. I had been with them the night
before that last flight, when their twin-engine plane
went down in the Absaroka mountain range in Wyo-
ming. There were no survivors. Now their precious
wives and children are left to struggle on alone. Why?
What purpose was served by their tragic loss? Why are
Hugo and Gail’s two sons, who are the youngest
among the four families, deprived of the influence of
their wise and compassionate father during their forma-
tive years? I don’t know, although the Lord has given
Gail sufficient wisdom and strength to carry on alone.
At the first mention of the “awesome why,” I think
also of our respected friends, Jerry and Mary White. Dr.
White is president of the Navigators, a worldwide
organization dedicated to knowing Christ and making
Him known. The Whites are wonderful people who
love the Lord and live by the dictates of Scripture. But
they have already had their share of suffering. Their
son, Steve, drove a taxi for several months while
seeking a career in broadcasting. But he would never
achieve his dream. Steve was murdered late one night
by a deranged passenger in the usually quiet city of
Colorado Springs. The killer was a known felon and
DR. JAMES DOBSON
6
drug abuser who had a long history of criminal activity.
When he was apprehended, the police learned that he
had called for the cab with the intent of shooting
whoever arrived to pick him up. Any number of drivers
might have responded. Steve White took the call. It was
random brutality, beyond any rhyme or reason. And it
occurred within a family that had honored and served
God for years in full-time Christian service.
I’m reminded of a church in Dallas, Texas, which was
destroyed by a tornado some years ago. The twister
suddenly dropped from the boiling sky and “selected”
this one structure for demolition. Then it lifted again,
damaging almost none of the surrounding territory.
How would you interpret this “act of God” if you were
a member of that congregation? Perhaps the Lord was
displeased by something going on in the church, but I
doubt if this was His way of showing it. If that is how
God deals with disobedience, then sooner or later
every sanctuary will be in jeopardy. So how do we
explain the selective destruction of the twister? I
wouldn’t try. There are simply times when things go
awry for reasons that may never be understood!
Further examples of inexplicable sorrows and diffi-
culties could fill the shelves of the world’s largest
library, and every person on earth could contribute
illustrations of his or her own. Wars, famines, diseases,
natural disasters, and untimely deaths are never easy to
rationalize. But large-scale miseries of this nature are
sometimes less troubling to the individual than the
circumstances that confront each of us personally.
WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE
7
Cancer, kidney failure, heart disease, sudden infant
death syndrome, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome,
divorce, rape, loneliness, rejection, failure, infertility,
widowhood! These and a million other sources of
human suffering produce inevitable questions that
trouble the soul. “Why would God permit this to
happen to me?” It is a question all believers—and many
pagans—have struggled to answer. And contrary to
Christian teachings in some circles, the Lord typically
does not rush in to explain what He is doing.
If you believe God is obligated to explain Himself to
us, you ought to examine the following Scriptures.
Solomon wrote in Proverbs 25:2, “It is the glory of God
to conceal a matter.” Isaiah 45:15 states, “Truly you are
a God who hides himself.” Deuteronomy 29:29 reads,
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God.”
Ecclesiastes 11:5 proclaims, “As you do not know the
path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a
mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of
God, the Maker of all things.” Isaiah 55:8-9 teaches,
“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens
are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”
Clearly, the Scripture tells us that we lack the capac-
ity to grasp God’s infinite mind or the way He inter-
venes in our lives. How arrogant of us to think
otherwise! Trying to analyze His omnipotence is like an
amoeba attempting to comprehend the behavior of
man. Romans 11:33 (KJV) indicates that God’s judg-
DR. JAMES DOBSON
8
ments are “unsearchable” and his ways “past finding
out.” Similar language is found in 1 Corinthians 2:16:
“For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may
instruct him?” Clearly, unless the Lord chooses to ex-
plain Himself to us, which often He does not, His
motivation and purposes are beyond the reach of
mortal man. What this means in practical terms is that
many of our questions—especially those that begin
with the word why—will have to remain unanswered
for the time being.
The Apostle Paul referred to the problem of unan-
swered questions when he wrote, “Now we see but a
poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to
face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even
as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Paul was
explaining that we will not have the total picture until
we meet in eternity. By implication, we must learn to
accept that partial understanding.
Unfortunately, many young believers—and some
older ones too—do not know that there will be times
in every person’s life when circumstances don’t add
up—when God doesn’t appear to make sense. This
aspect of the Christian faith is not well advertised. We
tend to teach new Christians the portions of our theol-
ogy that are attractive to a secular mind. For example,
Campus Crusade for Christ (an evangelistic ministry I
respect highly) has distributed millions of booklets
called “The Four Spiritual Laws.” The first of those
scriptural principles states, “God loves you and offers a
wonderful plan for your life.” That statement is cer-
WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE
9
tainly true. However, it implies that a believer will
always comprehend the “wonderful plan” and that he
will approve of it. That may not be true.
For some people, such as Joni Eareckson Tada, the
“wonderful plan” means life in a wheelchair as a
quadriplegic. For others it means early death, poverty,
or the scorn of society. For the prophet Jeremiah, it
meant being cast into a dark dungeon. For other Bible
characters it meant execution. Even in the most terrible
of circumstances, however, God’s plan is wonderful
because anything in harmony with His will ultimately
“works for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Still, it is not difficult to understand how confusion
can develop at this point, especially for the young.
During the springtime of their years, when health is
good and the hardships, failures, and sorrows have not
yet blown through their tranquil little world, it is
relatively easy to fit the pieces in place. One can
honestly believe, with good evidence, that it will al-
ways be so. Such a person is extremely vulnerable to
spiritual confusion if trouble strikes at that point.
Dr. Richard Selzer is a surgeon and a favorite author
of mine. He writes the most beautiful and compassion-
ate descriptions of his patients and the human dramas
they confront. In his book Letters to a Young Doctor, he
said that most of us seem to be protected for a time by
an imaginary membrane that shields us from horror. We
walk in and through it every day but are hardly aware
of its presence. As the immune system protects the
DR. JAMES DOBSON
10
human body from the unseen threat of harmful bacte-
ria, so this mythical membrane guards us from life-
threatening situations. Not every young person has this
protection, of course, because children do die of can-
cer, congenital heart problems, and other disorders. But
most of them are shielded—and don’t realize it. Then,
as the years roll by, one day it happens. Without
warning, the membrane tears and horror seeps into a
person’s life or into that of a loved one. It is at this
moment that an unexpected theological crisis presents
itself.
So what am I suggesting—that our heavenly Father
is uncaring or unconcerned about His vulnerable sons
and daughters, that He taunts us mere mortals as some
sort of cruel, cosmic joke? It is almost blasphemous to
write such nonsense. Every description given to us in
Scripture depicts God as infinitely loving and kind,
tenderly watching over His earthly children and guid-
ing the steps of the faithful. He speaks of us as “the
people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (Psalm
95:7). This great love led Him to send His only begotten
Son as a sacrifice for our sin, that we might escape the
punishment we deserve. He did this because He “so
loved” the world (John 3:16).
The Apostle Paul expressed it this way: “For I am
convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor
demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any
powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in
all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of
God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE
11
Isaiah conveyed this message to us directly from the
heart of the Father: “So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will
strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with
my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). No, the prob-
lem here is not with the love and mercy of God.
Nevertheless, the questions persist.
My chief concern at this point, and the reason I have
chosen to write this book, is for my fellow believers
who are struggling with circumstances that don’t make
sense. In my work with families who are going through
various hardships, from sickness and death to marital
conflict and adolescent rebellion, I have found it com-
mon for those in crisis to feel great frustration with
God. This is particularly true when things happen that
seem illogical and inconsistent with what had been
taught or understood. Then if the Lord does not rescue
them from the circumstances in which they are
embroiled, their frustration quickly deteriorates into
anger and a sense of abandonment. Finally, disillusion-
ment sets in and the spirit begins to wither.
This can even occur in very young children who are
vulnerable to feelings of rejection from God. I’m re-
minded of a boy named Chris, whose face had been
burned in a fire. He sent this note to his psychotherapist:
Dear Dr. Gardner. Some big person, it was a boy
about 13, he called me a turtle. And I know he said
this because of my plastic surgery. And I think God
DR. JAMES DOBSON
12
hates me because of my lip. And when I die, he’ll
probably send me to hell. Love, Chris.
Chris naturally concluded that his deformity was
evidence of God’s rejection. It is a logical deduction in
the eyes of a child: “If God is all-powerful and He
knows everything, then why would He let such a
terrible thing happen to me? He must hate me.”
Unfortunately, Chris is not alone. Many others come
to believe the same satanic lie. In fact, the majority of
us will someday feel a similar alienation from God.
Why? Because those who live long enough will eventu-
ally be confronted by happenings they will not under-
stand. That is the human condition. Let me say it again:
It is an incorrect view of Scripture to say that we will
always comprehend what God is doing and how our
suffering and disappointment fit into His plan. Sooner
or later, most of us will come to a point where it appears
that God has lost control—or interest—in the affairs of
people. It is only an illusion, but one with dangerous
implications for spiritual and mental health. Interest-
ingly enough, pain and suffering do not cause the
greatest damage. Confusion is the factor that shreds
one’s faith.
The human spirit is capable of withstanding enor-
mous discomfort, including the prospect of death, if the
circumstances make sense. Many martyrs, political pris-
oners, and war heroes have gone to their graves
willingly and confidently. They understood the sacrifice
they were making and accepted its meaning in their
WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE
13
lives. One is reminded of Nathan Hale moments before
he was hanged. He said to his English executioners, “I
only regret that I have but one life to lose for my
country.” Soldiers in battle often die valiantly, even
throwing their bodies on live hand grenades to protect
their comrades. Others charge deadly machine gun
emplacements in order to achieve military objectives.
Their attitude appears to be, “The cause for which I’m
risking my life is more than justified.”
Jim Elliot, one of five missionaries who were speared
to death by Auca (now Waorani) people in Ecuador,
best described this ultimate investment. He is quoted in
Elisabeth Elliot’s book Through Gates of Splendor: “He
is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what
he cannot lose.” That biblically based understanding
turns martyrdom into a glorious victory.
By contrast, Christians who become confused and
disillusioned with God have no such consolation. It is
the absence of meaning that makes their situation so
intolerable. As such, their depression over a sudden
illness or the tragic death of a loved one can actually be
more severe than that experienced by the nonbeliever
who expected and received nothing. It is not uncommon
to hear a confused Christian express great agitation,
anger, or even blasphemy. This confused individual is
like a little girl being told by her divorced father that he
will come to see her. When Daddy fails to show up, she
suffers far more than if he had never offered to come.
The key word here is expectations. They set us up
for disillusionment. There is no greater distress in
DR. JAMES DOBSON
14
human experience than to build one’s entire way of life
on a certain theological understanding, and then have
it collapse at a time of unusual stress and pain. A person
in this situation faces the crisis that rattled his founda-
tion. Then, like little Chris, he must also deal with the
anguish of rejection. The God whom he has loved,
worshiped, and served turns out to appear silent,
distant, and uncaring in the moment of greatest need.
Do such times come even to the faithful? Yes, they do,
although we are seldom willing to admit it within the
Christian community.
Wasn’t that precisely what happened to Job? This
God-fearing man of antiquity had done no wrong, yet
he suffered a series of staggering losses in a matter of
hours. I have heard many sermons based on the life of
this remarkable Old Testament character, but the
source of Job’s most intense frustration (his inability to
find God) has often been overlooked. That is a vital
point in the story. Job lost everything—his children, his
wealth, his servants, his reputation, and his friends. But
those tragedies, as terrible as they were, did not create
the greatest agitation for him. Instead, Job fell to the
ground in worship and said, “Naked I came from my
mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave
and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord
be praised” (Job 1:20-21).
Then God permitted Satan to afflict Job physically.
He was stricken “with painful sores from the soles of
his feet to the top of his head” (Job 2:7). His wife
became irritated and goaded her husband to curse God
WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE
15
and die. Job replied, “You are talking like a foolish
woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not
trouble?” The Scripture then says, “In all this, Job did
not sin in what he said” (2:10). What an incredible man
of faith! Not even death could shake his confidence, as
he proclaimed, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in
him” (13:15).
Eventually, however, Job reached a point of despair.
This man of towering strength who had coped with
sickness, death, and catastrophic loss soon faced a
circumstance that threatened to overwhelm him. It
emanated, strangely enough, from his inability to find
God. He went through a time when the presence of the
Almighty was hidden from view. More important, God
wouldn’t talk to him. Job expressed his great anguish
this way:
My complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of
my groaning. If only I knew where to find him; if
only I could go to his dwelling! I would state my case
before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I
would find out what he would answer me, and
consider what he would say. Would he oppose me
with great power? No, he would not press charges
against me. There an upright man could present his
case before him, and I would be delivered forever
from my judge. But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at
work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns
to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. (Job 23:2-9)
DR. JAMES DOBSON
16
Are we to assume that this inability to find and
communicate with God in certain times of personal
crisis was unique to Job? No, I believe it occurs in many
other cases, perhaps to the majority of us at some point
in life. Scripture tells us that “no temptation has seized
you except what is common to man” (1 Corinthians
10:13). We all go through similar experiences. King
David must have felt like Job when he asked the Lord
with great passion, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget
me forever? How long will you hide your face from
me?” (Psalm 13:1). Then in Psalm 77, David again
expressed the anguish of his soul: “Will the Lord reject
forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his
unfailing love vanished forever?” (vv. 7-8). We’re told
in 2 Chronicles 32:31 that “God left [Hezekiah] to test
him and to know everything that was in his heart.” Even
Jesus asked why he had been abandoned by God in
His final hours on the cross, which ultimately illustrates
the experience I am describing.
I am convinced that these and other biblical examples
were provided to help us understand a critically impor-
tant spiritual phenomenon. Apparently, most believers
are permitted to go through emotional and spiritual
valleys that are designed to test their faith in the crucible
of fire. Why? Because faith ranks at the top of God’s
system of priorities. Without it, He said, it is impossible
to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). And what is faith? It is
“the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, KJV). This determination to
believe when the proof is not provided and when the
WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE
17
questions are not answered is central to our relationship
with the Lord. He will never do anything to destroy the
need for faith. In fact, He guides us through times of
testing specifically to cultivate that belief and depen-
dence on Him (Hebrews 11:6-7).
Still, a theological answer of that nature doesn’t take
away the pain and frustration we experience when we
journey through spiritual no-man’s-land. And most of
us don’t handle our difficulties as well as Job or David.
When the heat is on and confusion mounts, some
believers go through a horrendous spiritual crisis. They
“lose God.” Doubt rises up to obscure His presence and
disillusionment settles into despair. The greatest frustra-
tion is knowing that He created the entire universe by
simply speaking it into existence, and He has all power
and all understanding. He could rescue. He could heal.
He could save. But why won’t He do it? This sense of
abandonment is a terrible experience for someone
whose entire being is rooted in the Christian ethic.
Satan then drops by for a little visit and whispers, “He
is not there! You are alone!”
What does such a person do when God makes no
sense? To whom does he confess his troubling—even
heretical—thoughts? From whom does he seek coun-
sel? What does he tell his family when his faith is
severely shaken? Where does he go to find a new set
of values and beliefs? While searching for something
more reliable in which to believe, he discovers that
there is no other name—no other god—to whom he
can turn. James 1:8 refers to that individual as a “double
DR. JAMES DOBSON
18
minded man [who] is unstable in all his ways” (KJV). He,
of all people, is most miserable and confused!
Such a person reminds me of a vine that grew behind
the house Shirley and I owned in southern California. It
was an ambitious plant that had a secret plan to conquer
the world! In its path was a gorgeous, 150-year-old oak
tree that I was most anxious to protect. Every few
months, I would look out the back window and notice
that the vine had again attacked the tree. There it was,
winding its way up the trunk and around the upper
branches. If allowed to continue, the oak tree would
eventually succumb to the invasion of the killer vine!
The solution was really quite simple. Instead of
jerking the plant off the tree, which would have dam-
aged the bark, I made one quick cut near the bottom
of the vine. Then I walked away. Though nothing
appeared to have changed, the green monster had
suffered a mortal blow. The next day, its leaves looked
a little dull. Two or three days later they were slightly
discolored around the edges. Soon they began turning
brown with cancerous-looking black spots near the
center. Then they started falling off, eventually leaving
just a dry stick extending up the trunk. Finally, the stick
fell away and the tree stood alone. So much for blind
ambition.
Is the analogy clear? Christians who lose God during
a period of spiritual confusion are like the vine that has
been cut off from its source. They are deprived of
nurture and strength. They seem to cope at first, but the
concealed wound is mortal. They begin to wither in the
WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE
19
heat of the sun. They usually drop out of church and
quit reading the Bible and praying. Some go off the
deep end and begin doing things they would never
have contemplated before. But there is no peace
within. Indeed, some of the most bitter, unhappy
people on earth are those who have become estranged
from the God they no longer understand or trust.
Jesus spoke of this relationship in John 15:5-6 when
He said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man
remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit;
apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not
remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away
and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into
the fire and burned.”
If you are among those people who have been
separated from the Vine because of disillusionment or
confusion, I have written with you in mind. I know you
are hurting. I understand the pain that engulfed you
when your child died or your husband betrayed you or
your beloved wife went to be with Jesus. You could not
explain the devastating earthquake, or the fire, or the
terrible tornado, or the unseasonable rainstorm that
ruined your crops. The insurance company said it was
an “act of God.” Yes. That’s what hurt the most. The
examples are endless. I’m thinking of a young man I
know who was convinced the Lord would let him have
the girl he desperately loved. He thought he could not
live without her. The day she married another man, his
faith was shaken to its foundation.
I’m reminded also of the woman who called in 1991
DR. JAMES DOBSON
20
to tell me that her 28-year-old son had been killed in
the Persian Gulf War. He was in a helicopter that was
shot down somewhere in Iraq. He was her only son
and was a born-again Christian. Only a handful of the
600,000 United Nations troops in that war failed to
come home alive, yet this God-fearing man was one of
them. My heart aches for his grieving mother.
The great danger for people who have experienced
this kind of tragedy is that Satan will use their pain to
make them feel victimized by God. What a deadly trap
that is! When a person begins to conclude that he or
she is disliked or hated by the Almighty, demoralization
is not far behind.
For the heartsick, bleeding soul out there today who
is desperate for a word of encouragement, let me
assure you that you can trust this Lord of heaven and
earth. There is security and rest in the wisdom of the
eternal Scriptures. We will discuss those comforting
passages in subsequent chapters, and I believe you will
see that the Lord can be trusted—even when He can’t
be tracked. Of this you can be certain: Jehovah, King
of kings and Lord of lords, is not pacing the corridors
of heaven in confusion over the problems in your life!
He hung the worlds in space. He can handle the
burdens that have weighed you down, and he cares
about you deeply. For a point of beginning He says,
“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE
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